April 19 (Bloomberg) -- A scandal involving a minor selling
sex to men in Singapore has expanded to include a former bank
executive, a school teacher and the member of a prominent family.

Juerg Buergin, 40, a former executive director of
operations at UBS AG in Singapore, and Howard Shaw, 41, part of
the family that built a movie production and real estate empire,
were among four men charged at the downtown Subordinate Court
yesterday for paid sex with an underage prostitute.

The four add to the 44 charged by the police for the same
offence earlier this week in a list that included a former grade
school principal and police superintendent, according to the
Straits Times. The latest charges came one day after ECA
International said Singapore kept its ranking as the most
livable city in the world for Asian expatriates.

“These charges against important people are an important
step, but it’s clearly just touching the surface of a larger
problem,” said Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at
the Singapore Management University. “The problem that
Singapore is facing is that a lot of its economy is moving into
the sin areas. The challenge for the government is to strengthen
the regulations around the sectors.”

Singapore dropped its four-decade ban on casinos as Las
Vegas Sands Corp. and Genting Singapore Plc opened their gaming
resorts in the city-state two years ago.

‘Amazing’ Scale

Shaw, who didn’t enter a plea, declined to comment, and
Selva K. Naidu, a lawyer at Liberty Law Practice LLP
representing Buergin, said his client also hasn’t entered a plea.
Buergin is in remand, pending bail of S$15,000 ($11,984), the
court was told. He couldn’t be reached for comment. The next
hearing for Shaw and Buergin is June 18.

“In this case, the scale is just quite amazing,” said
Paulin Straughan, a sociology professor at the National
University of Singapore. “All the publicity on the issue would
serve to send a very strong signal and warning that even though
the minor may be willing, that’s a minor.”

The offence for paid sex with someone under 18 carries a
maximum seven-year jail term as well as a fine. The city-state
also amended its laws in 2006 to make it an offence for
Singaporeans to have commercial sex with minors overseas.

The four men charged yesterday paid between S$450 and S$750
for each encounter with an underage prostitute in locations
ranging from an apartment in eastern Singapore, downtown budget
hotels to the more luxurious Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La,
according to the police charge sheets.

More Widespread?

“From a sociological perspective, the concern is: Is this
just the tip of the iceberg,” Straughan said.

While prostitution is legal in Singapore, soliciting for
customers isn’t and offenders may be fined as much as S$2,000 or
jailed for as long as six months, according to the city-state’s
statutes.

The scandal also comes after two of the city’s top civil
servants were dismissed and arrested in January on allegations
of “serious personal misconduct,” adding to public disquiet on
issues ranging from quickening inflation to the worst subway
disruptions during the holiday shopping season in December. The
train service was disrupted again yesterday.